Peer-reviewed article
Social behavior practices for child protection and well‐being among low‐income urban households in Bangladesh
M. Rezaul Islam, Fakir Al Gharaibeh, Azlinda Azman, Intan Hashimah Mohd Hashim, Md. Robiul Islam et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study surveyed 378 household heads in low-income urban areas of Gazipur, Bangladesh to understand social behaviours related to child protection and well-being. The research found very limited access to child protection services, with only birth registration being relatively common. About 55% of respondents had been married between ages 15 and 19, and many caregivers lacked knowledge about healthy practices like handwashing and the harms of child marriage. The findings highlight significant gaps in child protection awareness and services in urban poor communities.
Key points
- Child protection services are nearly absent in surveyed low-income households, except for birth registration
- 55% of respondents were married between ages 15 and 19, indicating high rates of child marriage
- Only 50-60% of caregivers could identify key benefits of healthy social behaviours
- About 50-60% of caregivers knew about handwashing necessity after defecation and before/after meals
- Similar proportions knew the appropriate age for marriage and understood consequences of child marriage
Limitations
This is a cross-sectional survey that describes current conditions but cannot establish causation or explain why these gaps exist. The study covers only two wards in one city, limiting generalisability to all urban poor households in Bangladesh or other regions.
Abstract
Abstract The main objective of this study was to explore the status of social behavior practices for child protection and well‐being among low‐income urban households in Bangladesh. This study used a survey method, and data were collected through a face‐to‐face structured interview from 378 low‐income household heads from 12 wards (Konabari and Kashimpur) of Zone 5 of the Gazipur City Corporation. Results found that the current status of the presence of child protection services is very low (in many cases, this number is zero except children having birth registered). A significant number (55%) of them were married between 15 and 19 years. The study found a low level of access on the components of social behaviors where around 50% to 60% caregivers stated 4 benefits of key behaviors, necessity of hand washing after defecation and before and after taking a meal, the age of boys and girls to get married off, and know the effect and consequences of child marriage. The chi‐squared tests confirmed extremely high significance in almost all of the components. Findings will be an important guideline for the policymakers, child service practitioners, and human rights workers.